• bobzer@lemmy.zip
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    1 day ago

    If you set parental controls on your own teen’s device, all you’re doing is isolating them from their peers and making them the kid with the weird parent who doesn’t let them post on tik tok.

    Social media isn’t what it was when we were growing up. It’s designed to prey on them the same way slot machines create gambling addictions.

    I’m no puritan but I do truly believe banning kids from social media and restricting teens at a legislative level would be a net benefit for society. Same as alcohol or drugs.

    • some_kind_of_guy@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      Prohibition didn’t work for drugs either, so why would it work here? Why do we need to learn that lesson over and over again?

      • bobzer@lemmy.zip
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        1 day ago

        Prohibition didn’t work for drugs either

        I didn’t realize it was common for 14 year olds to drink alcohol and take heroin where you’re from…

        • some_kind_of_guy@lemmy.world
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          24 hours ago

          Underage drinking is still more common than it should be, despite strict laws. The point is, it doesn’t do any good to go after the consumer, regardless of age. in order to make a meaningful impact, legislation would have to destroy or significantly neuter social media companies altogether, globally. Anything else will be a disappointment.

          The more effective way to reduce these harms is through social/cultural change, but that’s easier said than done.

          • bobzer@lemmy.zip
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            21 hours ago

            Underage drinking is still more common than it should be,

            Sure, but it’s significantly lower than legal drinking.

            We as a society acknowledge the harm of underage drinking so prohibition is effective. Prohibition of adult drinking was puritan bullshit the majority didn’t agree with so it didn’t work.

            I think you’d find a majority of parents agree social media is shit, but they’re unwilling to isolate their child. In this case prohibition would be effective.

            • some_kind_of_guy@lemmy.world
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              20 hours ago

              It will be effective if the prohibition takes the form of these companies no longer existing, at least in their current form, OR if the majority turn against them, making them irrelevant. An age gate won’t do anything, not on its own

    • [deleted]@piefed.world
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      1 day ago

      Limiting total time spent on something is one of the parental control options. It isn’t just blocking things 100%.